


Please Open Your Eyes

by PyeruPyeru



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death, Coma, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heartbreak, I'm really trying, Lesbians, Plot Twists, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Saihara is the main character here, Spoilers, They're mostly straight I'm sorry, This is my first fic I'm gonna post here so, Virtual Reality, because I started writing this before I finished v3, don't judge me too hard, so Kiibo is a survivor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-06-12 13:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15340587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyeruPyeru/pseuds/PyeruPyeru
Summary: Everything was over.The killing game was over, right?It was dead silent.In the 6th class trial Saihara wanted to have, all the terrifying mysteries, everything about the outside world and their memories, everything had been solved. The mastermind that made everyone -even herself- participate in the horrible killing game, had been revealed.





	1. Hello, World

**Author's Note:**

> As you could see from the tags this is my first fic I'm posting here and first V3 fic and first sERIOUS SERIOUS fic I'm writing but mY DUDES YOU BETTER ENJOY THIS  
> My friend inspired me to write this and she cried when reading this so uh yeah yeet

Everything was over.

The killing game was over, right?

It was dead silent.

In the 6th class trial Saihara wanted to have, all the terrifying mysteries, everything about the outside world and their memories, everything had been solved. The mastermind that made everyone –even herself- participate in the killing game, had been revealed.  
Tsumugi Shirogane. The way she had snapped in the middle of the 6th class trial, her eyes all fogged up, an evil grin on her face as every survivor –Saihara, Maki, Yumeno and Kiibo- fell one after another into despair. They had lost 11 friends as they tried to fight off despair and find hope together, only to make everything even worse. Most of them were innocent. Clueless. They didn’t want to be in any contact with any kind of killing game. No one.

And that’s what Shirogane enjoyed. Her brain was all messed up. All the despair and the chaos she had been living through, unable to find any good in her world which was falling apart, made her brain rot and find a new hope in Junko Enoshima, the Queen of Despair. She idolized her so much, that she started calling herself “Junko Enoshima 53rd” and held her own class trial, just like everyone who had fallen for Junko. Everything what was going through her head was wrong. Every single thing.

When Shirogane revealed that killing game was held in a virtual simulation, the survivors who were painted with dark despair, saw light. The light –their hope- was small, but it was still there. Shining, guiding them onto the right path, breaking through the despair, they were able to defeat Shirogane together.

Their hope? The virtual simulation. In other words, if their bodies were still alive but only their minds were destroyed, it meant that if they could get out of the simulation they all would be alive again, right? They had only one option and two conclusions. They could completely destroy the virtual simulation they were trapped in, wake up from their deep sleep and continue living their normal lives, like they just saw a very long and painful, traumatizing nightmare. But it all could go wrong as well. The survivors could destroy the virtual world, destroying every last piece of their minds along as well, and never waking up from their sleep again.

But they had no choice. They had to try it. Shirogane wouldn’t tell them if their friends were still alive, would they die in the progress of the virtual world collapsing. But they still had to try.  
After a while, the virtual world really started collapsing. All the survivors moved closer to each other, holding their hands, hoping for the best while the world around them was being destroyed, completely in pieces. The mastermind stayed in her own throne, laughing, waiting for the outcome of their decision, as clueless as the others. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, everything was shaking as they were surrounded by black and green binary code and glitching pixels.

“If it all ends here, I have to say that this sure was an adventure.” Maki smiled as she looked at her friends one after another, before the world got entirely deleted. “Don’t you dare to forget about me.”  
The warm yet fresh air hit Saihara’s exposed skin, as he was laying down in a soft bed. Saihara laid there for a moment, his eyes closed, listening to the gentle hum of his capsule. Capsule? Saihara opened his eyes slowly, a pale, small green light hitting his eyes as he did so.

Where was he? What happened?

He tried to recollect things that had happened in his past, just a few minutes ago. The class trial. The virtual simulation. That’s it.  
He had survived. His heart started to bump faster against his ribcage, his pale chest rising slightly faster as well. He felt relieved. Confused, but still happy. It all felt like nightmare and now he was able to wake up from it.

The feeling on his arms and legs started to return and he tried to move them. Everything seemed to work well. He lifted his hand right above his face, falling deep into his thoughts once again. Could this really be real? Did he wake up to the reality he had craved oh-so much, or was this just another stage of the life draining virtual simulation. Or was he perhaps dead, an angel living in the afterlife after being crushed by a collapsing reality. Everything looked slightly more sci-fi in the afterlife than he had imagined. He had no halo, no white beautiful wings, no devil’s sharp horns or tail. He was alive, right? The beating heart in his chest, pumping blood around his weak, skinny body told everything about it. This was real. Not a dream. And hopefully not another virtual reality.

Saihara slowly sat up, opening his capsule. The sudden cold air hit his skin, making shivers go down his spine. The humming of every machine in the big dark room was louder than in was inside the capsule, but it was still very calming and silent. Saihara only had his underwear on. The only thing he wanted right now was some clothes to put on.

They were folded onto a chair right next to his capsule. His socks and shoes on the floor, his pants, shirt, jacket and his cap on the chair. Everything was there, all ready for Saihara. But why? Had someone put them there? Saihara stood up slowly, dressing up. He stared at the cap on the chair for a long time, before deciding to place it in his empty capsule. He had been hiding enough. He could live without his annoying cap.

Suddenly a wave of pain filled his whole head, breaking his thoughts and forcing him to sit down the chair, grabbing on the side of his capsule.  
He remembered again.  
He got a flashback. Not from a flashback light, this one came out of nowhere, without any kind of warning.

It was him who had put his clothes there, folding them onto the chair right before laying down in the small but comfortable capsule, all willingly. It was the time when he was ready to participate in the killing game, not realizing how much it would destroy him mentally. It felt like it happened many years ago, but in reality this had happened just a few weeks ago.

Saihara gasped for air as he held his head in pain, waiting for it to calm down. It felt like he had just hit his head, throbbing for a few seconds before going away as suddenly as it had appeared. He carefull stood up again, his eyes completely used to the darkness of the room. Only light the room had was the faint green light shining through the closed capsules. The capsules…

Saihara counted 1… 2… 4… 8… In total, there were exactly 16 capsules in this room, including his own. But only one was open. A sudden rush of panic made his heart skip a beat or two, making it beat faster to catch the beat up again. Only his capsule was open? Did it mean that he was the first one to wake up? Was he the only one to wake up, all of his friends remaining unconscious. He started to walk around the circle like room with shaky steps, looking sadly down at the capsules he walked by. Everyone truly was there. Amami… Hoshi… Angie… Yumeno… Saihara whispered out the names of his sleeping friends who he walked past, the images of their dead and cold, blood covered bodies filling his mind once again.

“Kaede…” Saihara whispered, suddenly tears stinging his eyes as he looked down at the person very important to him, locked in the capsule. How long had it been since he saw her last time?  
Gentle piano. Claire de Lune.  
Saihara hummed the melody as he kneeled down, right next to sleeping Kaede, placing his shaking hand on the capsule, tears spilling from his eyes.

She was right there, right next to him. Saihara wanted to open the capsule, hug her until she would wake up again. He wanted to hear her gentle voice again, telling him that everything was okay now, telling how much she had missed him, telling that they could be together again.  
But he didn’t.

Opening the capsule could risk Kaede’s life. But what if she wouldn’t wake up? What if she would lay dead right next to him, without him knowing?

He couldn’t see Kaede’s breathing through the thick green glass.

Tears dropping like rain on the glass of the capsule, Saihara’s voice broke into pieces as he hummed to himself. Sobbing, gasping for air, not wanting to look away from the person he loved the most.  
He felt like she would be taken away if he looked away.

The most terrifying thing about the whole thing was that Kaede didn’t have any kind of scars from her execution, execution that was enough to drive Saihara deep into despair, filling his thoughts with insanity. Saihara probably wouldn’t be there right now without the help of his dear friends.

Saihara examined Kaede’s porcelain like skin, trying to stop his tears from spilling. Her light blonde hair looked so soft…  
Suddenly he noticed something.

A light mark, sparkling like gold on Kaede’s neck. Could it be..?

The sound of one of the capsules opening made Saihara wake up from his own bubble, trying to wipe away the water pouring from his now red eyes. Dark haired girl dressed up, her red eyes and Saihara’s pale eyes meeting.  
Maki woke up.

Saihara felt happy. Relieved. He didn’t need to be alone anymore. Only few minutes being awake alone –in a dark room, only sound he heard was his own heartbeat, his own breathing and the humming of the capsules around him, filled with his half dead comatose friends- was already enough for him. Shakily he stood up again, almost tripping on his skinny legs, making his was to his best friend who was now awake.

Tears still running on Saihara’s pale face, a faint smile full of dozens of emotions appeared on his face, a silent, welcoming whisper filling the room.  
“Welcome back.”

 

Students awake: 2


	2. 4 Pairs of Eyes

“We really survived, huh?” Maki said, a faint smile on her face. “I'm really relieved to be honest, even though I was ready to sacrifice myself in order to destroy that horrible reality.” The smile on her face disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

“Me too...” Saihara's voice was still shaking a little, trying to brush his worries off his mind, clearly spacing out in his own bubble when he wasn't listening to Maki. He was always the one to over think things even in the past, but these past few weeks had been ripping his mental state in thousands of pieces and the worry about the lives of his friends wasn't making this situation any better.

After listening to the calming sound of the capsules, recollecting their thoughts, embracing their sweet lives a silence between the two of them, Maki spoke up. “How long have you been awake?”

“I'm not exactly sure... Not more than 15 minutes, I think.” Saihara only now realised again that time existed, clock ticking as they were talking to each other. Each second passing, they could be either more near or further away from their dear friends waking up again. Did they have to wake them up themselves, or would they automatically wake up at some point?

“I'm happy to hear that. It could've been possible that you'd have to wait for hours, days or weeks for me or the others to wake up... And speaking about it...” Maki scanned the room with her bright red eyes, finally making eye contact with Saihara again after a few seconds.

“We're the only one's awake so far.” Saihara answered to Maki's question she didn't even have time to ask. Saihara would have asked that same question as well, so it wasn't hard to deduce what was going through Maki's head right now.

The expression on Maki's face changed slightly, the light -the hope- in her bright red eyes escaping for a moment. Saihara could see the moment when a piece of Maki's heart broke off, sinking deep down behind locks and bars after she realised that the person she wanted to see again so badly wouldn't be there greeting her.

“Of course.” She spoke, her voice left without an expression. “It would have been more logical if us, the survivors, would wake up first.”

“If everyone of us will ever even wake up.” Saying those words aloud hurt Saihara deep down. Mostly, he meant those words for himself, trying to finally snap awake to the cruel reality.

“Hey...” Maki whispered gently. “Don't you dare to fall into despair now. We've been through a lot, I know, but let's stay strong for a bit longer now, okay? Everything we can do right now is to hope for the best,” Maki tried to cheer both of them up, a small smile once again appearing on her beautiful doll like face. “Kaede wouldn't want to see you this broken when she wakes up, would she?”

That's when it hit him. Why had he stayed strong for all this time? Why did he want to stop the killing game so desperately, to stop all the horrible things from happening to his friends? To catch the mastermind, to make them pay for their actions. The reason he had stayed alive, fighting the urge to end his fragile life when things were too hard. The reason he wanted to live, to feel the person's presence, maybe someday see their smile again. To touch their smooth skin, to touch their soft hair, to touch their warm hand. Someday. Make them feel proud as they were watching over Saihara's life in heaven, wanting to make them feel better beyond the grave.

The reason Saihara was still fighting, was Kaede.

Her determination to live, to catch the person who set up the killing game. Her determination to keep everyone as one group. Her determination to stay positive. Her determination to keep fighting until the end. She was the one who inspired everyone. Saihara needed to fulfill her last wish before she was taken away to cold unknown world, away from touch, from feeling, living, breathing again.

For Kaede.

 

“I miss her... I really do...” Were the only words he could whisper, wishing that Kaede could hear his voice, waking up to comfort him.

“I know how you feel...” Maki replied, now her steps echoing through the silent room. Looking around, trying to find him. Oh how desperate she was, to see him even one more time. Her feelings were mixed, she wanted to see the man he fell in love with, but would it really give her more hope or drive her deeper into destructive despair once again? Should she wait for him to wake up somewhere else or by his side, making sure he really would be fine? Maki's heart was controlling her, not her brains. Her thoughts filled with his smile, her steps faster. Almost running, she suddenly stopped. Glaring down at the capsule, through the green glass she saw him.

 

Saihara followed Maki. He also wanted to see his best friend, the person who was there for him. His hero, his savior, the person who had made him his side kick. -The main character- as he liked to call himself. His heart aching, waiting to see Kaito again.

It was hard to see what emotions Maki was feeling right now, it was merely impossible to read her face, as always. Deep inside, Saihara still could feel the same kind of wave of emotions she felt as she was staring down at Kaito's peacefully sleeping face as he had felt when he first time looked at Kaede.

“H-He's smiling even in his sleep... Like always...” Maki laughed once, tears starting to stream down her face as her voice broke. Trying to hide her face as she tried to quietly laugh the sadness away, only making it worse. Dropping down on her knees, leaning on the capsule, smile covering her crying face. “You idiot...” Like pearls, the droplets of her tears shining in the pale green light, falling down on the capsule.

 

Saihara knew it was his time to leave, to let Maki cry her aching heart out, let her hidden emotions show once again. He had no idea Maki had missed Kaito so much. Her reaction surprised Saihara, but at the same time it still didn't. Seeing his friend so emotionally broken, his other friend in coma, was heartbreaking. Why did it have to turn out like this? Thinking about all the emotionally destroying things every single one of his friends had to go through made his anger build up towards the mastermind behind all this, Tsumugi Shirogane. He could never forgive her. Brainwashed or not, she still couldn't erase all the deep emotional traumas she gave them. Not in reality. Still, no matter how mad Saihara was at Shirogane, he still didn't want her to die, he didn't want to kill her. Maki didn't agree with Saihara, she wanted Shirogane to end her life what had given only harm to others. Saihara understood Maki, but deep inside he could still feel empathy towards Shirogane. Maybe later in her life she would regret everything she did, then she would have to live with the horrible feeling, with a deep regret for the rest of her life. Deep in his thoughts, Saihara had made his way upstairs, squinting his eyes as the ray of Sun hit his eyes.

 

The room upstairs was completely different from the dark room downstairs, filled with capsules, the room what barely had any light in it. The room Saihara was now in was bright. The clean windows letting the warm rays of sun come inside, wooden floor shining in the light along the pure white walls. If heaven was a room, it'd look exactly like this calm, completely silent room. No humming of the capsules, or the quiet sobs of the dark brown haired girl could reach this room.

Rubbing his eyes, blinking them in the bright room, Saihara looked around. The room downstairs was a basement, if he deduced right. Everything was covered in small layer of dust, so long it had been since someone was here. Only a few weeks, it wasn't too dirty after all. A few tables, a couple of chairs here and there, one plastic plant in the corner of the room.

Saihara stepped forward, walking across the room with heavy thoughts, but light steps, opening the glass door. It was morning, the warm summer wind hit Saihara's pale face. Feeling the wind against his skin, gently moving his hair, felt refreshing after being trapped inside a stuffy capsule for weeks. Inhaling deeply, closing his eyes, enjoying the moment while trying to clear his head out. Exhaling, opening his eyes slowly again to stare at the sparkling lake before his eyes, listening to the movement of the trees in the gentle wind. Feeling a gentle touch on his hand, warm, soothing. Calm, comforting. Moving his eyes on his side, imagining Kaede's welcoming smile, was only a dream. Standing alone in the air of the waking nature, sad smile covering his face. Maybe soon.

Maybe someday. Someday, holding her arm in the peak of the morning, wouldn't be a dream of him. Someday, somehow.

 

“It's beautiful here upstairs, isn't it?” After standing alone for many minutes, enjoying the moment, thinking about the dreams what meant most to him, Maki's soft whisper broke the silence gently.

“It really is...” Saihara replied, slowly letting his thoughts slip away as he looked behind him. Another familiar face, Maki wasn't alone. Blue eyed, white haired robot standing besides Maki, sad but relieved smile shining on his face. “You're awake, Kiibo?”

“Yes... It hasn't been long since I stepped out of my capsule...” His voice was small, but strong as always. Saihara had always been impressed by how Kiibo had the strength and motivation to even try to stay strong. “For his friends” as he liked to say. He was a robot, but still completely normal, a human in Saihara's eyes.

A smile spread across Saihara's face. “Welcome back, Kiibo. I'm glad to see you again.”

“I'm glad to be here with you.” Kiibo replied with a nod, his mouth quivering slightly. Three of them were awake already, making them feel relieved. There was hope. Everyone would wake up before anyone would even notice it. Who would be the next one to open up their eyes, taking breaths after being embraced by the cold hold of the death? The three survivors, only one of them missing. Looking at each other, the feelings such as sadness and happiness, joy and anger, mixing together in their heads. Calm on the outside, a war between different emotions on the inside, their minds were the same. Thinking about different persons, still having the same thoughts. “I just want to see them again.” Was the message hidden in the back of their heads, keeping their minds together, not letting it rot and crumble, but making it even stronger.

“Are we the only one's awake?” Kiibo asked after the long silence.

“We are.” Maki replied, making eyecontact with Kiibo.

“I see...”

The words echoing in the room, once again looking at the sparkling lake, the green trees and the grass gently moving in the wind. They felt peace. Exhausted. Everything they had been going through. It really would be okay now. Waiting for those words to arrive from her pink lips as they parted, gently gasping for air, let her breathing hit his skin in the gentle, loving embrace. The sparkling lake reminding of her beautiful purple eyes, carrying a gentle, caring look.

 

Once again something broke the silence.

“Hello? I-Is anyone awake?”

The words of the small magician, barely making their way in their ears. Yumeno had waken up, alone in the basement of the beautiful house.

“We better go get her.” Maki smiled, looking at two of her friends, small chuckle escaping from her shut mouth.

 

Students awake: 4


	3. Dark, Hollow Dream

Waiting in the morning light, watching the warming sun rising up, up on the clear blue sky. Gentle warmness wrapping them, empty silence surrounding them. Waiting, waiting for a sign. Watching the warm sun getting colder, painting the clouds in the sky in purple and pink, darkness surrounding them and finally, slowly, wrapping them into the beautiful embrace. Birds on the sky, in the trees, in their nests, calming down after the day, nature falling asleep. The trees turning from green to darker shade, completely black, only a silhouette left after minutes turned into hours, slowly passing by.

It was starting to get late.

The clock ticking, marking an end for their first day being truly alive again, living in their own “afterlife”, in the reality.

Around 10pm, Yumeno's eyelids started to get heavier, her head dropping and the sudden nod waking her up again for a second or two. She was the most exhausted of all four of them, the process of waking alone in a dark room, three of her friends coming there to greet her, explaining only a few things they fully knew themselves, about the house they were now in, about the capsules their friends were sleeping in, not knowing enough. Seeing Tenko's peacefully sleeping face again, overwhelming emotions taking over, once again. Only a few things had happened so far, but it all just felt very... Exhausting.

Kiibo, who took Yumeno's small hand in his own, got up from the couch they were sitting on, looked at Maki and Saihara. “We'll go to sleep now if you don't mind. Yumeno looks like she needs some rest.” Kiibo smiled as Yumeno rubbed her heavy eyelids, a yawn escaping from her shut mouth.

“Good night, both of you.” Maki replied, watching the two of them walking down the hall, disappearing after a few seconds.

After Yumeno had waken up earlier that day, everyone had started investigating the house they now lived in. How long would they have to stay there? They didn't have any clue.

 

The word investigate had a sickening ring in it. The last time they had to investigate something was the collapsing school Kiibo was destroying back then. Investigating the cold bodies of their dead friends, staining their shaking hands in the rusty smelling, pink, sometimes even warm liquid, as they tried to save themselves from the unknown empty embrace called death, killing another one of their friends in the process. Touching the smooth, pale face of the dead body in the library, inside a dark room, surrounded by dolls or inside another virtual reality. Collecting the bones of their friend's dead body, flowing in the water as his already lifeless body was completely eaten by piranhas. Looking for the last pieces of hope as they tried to figure out who the victim was, crushed, hidden, still right in front of their eyes.

 

In the room Saihara and Maki were sitting right now, shadows crawling over the wooden floor as the sun was sinking deeper, hiding behind the trees.

The house was bigger than what they had expected, 16 small bedrooms, one for every single one of them. Comfortable beds, clean sheets. Slightly dusty drawers, empty as ever. Their clothes, filling up only one of the drawers, exactly the same they had in the virtual reality they had been trapped in. Reminding them about every horror they had to go through.

 

“You're not going to sleep yet?” Maki asked after Kiibo and Yumeno had left the two of them alone, sitting on the grey couch.

“No... I don't really feel like it yet...” Saihara smiled sadly, forcing the smile to stay on his face as he looked at his friend. “But I'll go if you want to have some time alone.” Even smiling was mentally draining now.

“Don't worry, you don't need to go yet... Actually... I'd rather want to have some company right now...” Maki replied leaning back on the couch. “Not for any particular reason, I just-”

“There's no need to explain. I understand.” His tired voice cut Maki short, already filled up with knowledge why she wanted him to stay.

 

Maki just didn't want to be alone. No one wanted.

Of course, being together like this, even if there were only two of them, felt nicer, more safe than being completely alone. Saihara was just starting to realize how lucky he was when he didn't have to be completely alone no longer than 15 minutes after taking his first weak steps in weeks.

 

There was another reason why Maki didn't want to go to sleep yet.

 

Waiting for his arrival.

A knight in his shining armor, someday, rescuing his princess from the cold and empty world she was forced to live in, -only surviving, not living- after losing the most dear person to her.

A knight and a princess -in another words- an astronaut and an assassin.

The princess, the assassin, trying to save her prince, the astronaut, only to fail. To live in the crumbling hope that she would see him again, blaming his death upon herself.

 

“Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear Make this pain disappear.”

 

Only his touch could save her now.  
Only his smile could lift her from drowning.  
Only him.  
Only Kaito.

 

Sitting in complete silence, an hour, almost two rushing past them, both of them completely disappeared deep in their thoughts.

It was still nice.

The thoughts could have been more happy, some of them more realistic, but living in their own little dreams was... Nice. There was no need to snap awake yet, right?

Dreams, hold us tighter, hold us closer. Don't let us wake up again, let us still believe. Pretty please?

But waking up from their dreams after living there long enough to the point they would almost forget about the real world again, would be even more painful than it could ever be.

 

Saihara, slowly lifting his tired stare from the wooden floor to look at Maki, who had now stood up from the couch they were sitting on.

“It's late now. Shouldn't you go to sleep now? You look... Tired.” Maki asked coldly, but the faint care in her voice made Saihara feel warmth inside him.

“You're right... But, where are you going?” He asked as Maki opened the door which lead outside.

Completely dark outside, hundreds of stars, the bright Moon, shimmering like snow, lighting up the night sky, gentle, cold wind stroking the trees.

“I'll just go walk for a bit before going to bed.”

“I see.”

Saihara thought that it'd be better if he didn't ask anymore questions.

“Well... I'll be going now... Good night.”

“See you tomorrow.”

 

With that, Saihara was heading down the hall, turning right, searching for his name tag attached on one of the 16 doors.

“Saihara” it said, a small character made out of pixels in front of him. A faint smile appearing on his face while looking at the little picture of himself.

Of course, the picture was quite adorable. At least that's what Saihara thought.

But...

It still kind of reminded him about the fact that yesterday he was just like a...

 

A game character. Just red, green and blue pixels floating inside a “game”, as he liked to call it.

Inside a virtual reality, forced to participate in a killing game.

“Just like a game... Right?”

 

Shaking his head gently, taking his shoes off and dropping his jacket on a chair, he climbed in his bed. Soft and clean. The smell was slightly dusty but... It wasn't that bad.

“We'll just wash the sheets tomorrow, just like always... It'll be a lot nicer then.”

Pressing his head deeper in the pillow, staring blankly at the ceiling, his hands resting on his stomach. The room was completely dark. Pitch black. Keeping his eyes open or shut, there was no difference. Shutting them just felt more comfortable right now.

“I really don't feel like sleeping yet... I just... Don't...”

No matter how exhausted he was, he was still afraid to fall asleep.

Falling asleep would most likely mean nightmares. Not the kind of nightmares where a scary bear would chase down Saihara, as his steps would grow heavier to the point where he couldn't escape the red eyed blood thirst bear. He had already grown out of fearing them, nowadays that kind of “nightmares” would just make him rather... Uncomfortable, to be honest.

 

But he was afraid of seeing her again.

 

“If I fall asleep and she would wake up... And I couldn't be there for her... She'd have to wake up all alone... Not understanding anything... What if-”

“Stop it. That's not realistic. It's more likely that she wouldn't wake up tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

“What if she doesn't wake up at all?”

“What if?”  
“What if.”  
“What if...”

 

Opening his eyes wide awake, leaning against the shining metallic podium. Breathing heavily, looking around. There was nothing. Dark. He was standing in an empty room, all alone again.

A faint, quiet, desperate voice suddenly ringing in his ears.

“Believe me, I am the killer!”

 

Kaede...?

 

“Kaede?! Is that you? Where are you?” Hesitantly looking around, his voice echoing in the room.

“I'm the one who killed Rantarou Amami!”

“Kaede, listen-!”

“I'm the one who killed him!”

“It wasn't you! It wasn't you, believe me! Now I know the real culprit, just listen to me!” His voice breaking into pieces, tears streaming down his face.

“I'm the culprit! Saihara, please understand me! I don't want to hurt you anymore! I don't want to argue with you, I really don't..! I don't want to hurt our friends anymore, I don't want to run around aimlessly, trying to catch the mastermind behind all this and hurt my innocent friends even more! I just wanted all of us to be happy, together, and alive! But instead, I killed him, I killed the wrong person! Saihara, I killed him!”

“It wasn't you! Shirogane was the one! She's the mastermind, she's the one who killed Amami!”

Silence. The kind of silence when you were playing a game, and suddenly all the voices would just disappear. The music, all gone. Suddenly, the character you were talking to, closing their mouth to stay silent, like to process something they were going to say next. Something smart, something shocking. As if someone would have muted your game, as an effect to make it even more dramatic.

“I really don't want to hurt anyone, I didn't want to do it in the first place... You don't want either... I know it... I just wanted you to throw away your cap, to look confidently in people's eyes again, to face your fears and to bring justice to this awful world of ours, to make this place better again, because I couldn't do it... Not alone... I failed... You can do it, you just have to believe in yourself, to bring justice... To... Make an end for my story... Because I'm... A cold blooded killer. A murderer. The blackened. Saihara, I'm the culprit... I thought I could help all of you, but... Looks like I only caused more trouble... I know this isn't easy for you, but you need to do this... It's either me or all of you...”

“I just want you to live! Because you're innocent!”

“So are everyone else. Did Tenko ever do anything bad to you? Or Iruma? Hoshi? They're all innocent. You're innocent. The only blackened in this room is me.”

Suddenly, light after another appeared, revealing every single student in the room. No face, no grin, no sadness, no emotions. Blank. Expressionless. Standing behind their podiums, one after another pointing at the dark ceiling. Somewhere, up there, was Kaede. The one everyone called the true culprit.

“But-!”

“No... Don't try to stop it, because... I believe in you... I believe in you! You're strong enough to fight the pain! Just face the truth!”

“Please, Kaede! Don't leave me! Not again!”

“Haha... I never thought my life would actually end like this, huh...? Saihara, please listen to my last wish...”

 

“Keep yourself alive.”

“No, Kaede-”

“Find the true hope.”

“Please, just listen to me-”

“Help our friends to escape.”

“I'll escape with you-!”

“Take care of yourself.”

“I can't do it without you-!”

 

“For me, okay?”

 

Flea Waltz playing, Kaede's presence fading away, her voice sinking with it.

“Upupupu... Time is up! It's PUNISHMENT TIME!”

“NO!!”

 

The music, faster, faster, the world spinning around and around. Cold, mad laughter, voices spinning around him. Screams of pain, the laughter growing bigger. Hysteric, painful to listen to. Not being able to breath. His voice almost disappearing, his heart not beating, his breath stuck in his throat, cold sweat glimmering against his pale skin.

 

“No... No... No! Not again! Please, not again! Kaede!”

“Kaede, come back! Please, I want to see you, once again is everything I need! Once! I need to tell you!”

“One more thing, please come back!”

 

The hysteric screams full of pain and fear which seemed to last forever, finally stopping. Flea Waltz only a faint memory with the others, everything was empty again. All of his faceless friends, disappearing in the wind, everything was empty again. He was alone again. If he'd wish once more, maybe she'd come back once more, he only needed to tell her that-

“Come back...”

Shutting his eyes tightly, thinking about her all over again. Her soft hair, the way her smile shined with warmth, her gentle voice... Wishing for her to come back for the last time, suddenly hearing water droplets hit the cold rock floor. Tip. Tip. Tip.

Opening his eyes again, a blinding light hitting his eyes all of sudden. A moment or two later, he saw something what made him want to throw up, scream because of all the horror, escape from reality, once again.

 

It was her execution all over again.

 

Cold lifeless body hanging from a rope, blood dripping, hitting the puddle of blood on the cold rock floor. Her eyes still showing fear, last tears falling down her pale cheeks, the tips of her fingers covered in blood. Her mouth open, to scream more, but there was no more voice. She wasn't there anymore. She was dead.

 

After the long silence, the empty, emotionless echoes started spinning around him again. Blaming, blaming Kaede's death upon him.

 

“Upupu... I might have been the one who killed Amami, but you were the one who truly killed Kaede...”

“Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!”  
“Blackened!”  
“Culprit!”  
“Murderer!”

 

“I didn't kill her...”

 

What if Kaede would be alive? If Saihara wouldn't have made a mistake in the class trial, if he had thought more, thought about all the details. Where was Shirogane, when the murder occurred? Who saw her going in the bathroom? What if he had checked out the girl's bathroom? If Saihara had only thought more, even a basic logic would have helped him. To run straight into the library, skipping the conversation between him, Kaede, Kaito and Tenko. If Saihara would have been fast enough. If Saihara would have been smart enough. If he would care about others more. Slow, pathetic, selfish, stupid, a true catastrophe. That's what he was. He didn't earn to be called the Super High School Level Detective. No way. No, he didn't earn it.

“You don't earn it. Do you understand? Detective, who kills people instead of helping them, is that what you want to be? To bring “justice”? Do you even know what helping others means? What justice really is?”

“Stupid!”  
“Selfish!”  
“Careless!”  
“Unlovable!”

 

“I didn't kill her... Lies... Those are lies....”

 

“Then prove me wrong~ Oh right! You can't!”

“Stop it... Stop it... Stop it! I didn't kill her! I only wanted to protect her! Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it!! Please!”

 

“But Saihara... Aren't all these voices around you just your own thoughts after all?”

“Just inside your head? Your little mind?”

 

A faint giggle from the mastermind behind him, freezing his thoughts, his movements. A droplet of sweat hitting the old, rotten wooden podium he was still leaning on. His heavy breathing, completely stolen away from the sudden realization, the sudden freezing, sudden breath hitting his neck. Not warm, not cold. Shivers traveling down his spine. The breath that was there, yet, completely gone.

 

“Saihara... You better wake up or you'll never see her again~”

 

Gasping for air in panic, just like after being forced to hold your breath so long that your sight would get all blurry and your head dizzy. Like someone would have been strangling you mercilessly, only to let you breath only seconds before taking your breath completely away.

His eyes were wide open, looking around in complete horror, his thoughts wandering around as he tried to figure out where he was. Sitting up, his eyes shooting from corner to corner of his eyes, looking around in the room embraced by the darkness. Trembling. Heart beating with force, feeling it all the way in his head. Thump. Thump. Thump.

 

Was it... Only a dream? The feared nightmare what Saihara was afraid of? The fear of seeing Kaede's execution, her death creeping in the depths of his head, his mind, his dreams, causing Saihara to lose all the control of his very own emotions?

 

Tears streaming down his expressionless face, his empty eyes staring at the digital clock.

4 am.

 

This was going to be a long night.

Students awake: 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry publishing new chapters takes so long. Stay with me, my good dudes! I'll get my own computer soon (I'm writing this on my dad's computer) And of course, then I'll have more time to write. Not sure when I'll get my own computer, but I sure hope I'd get it as soon as possible.


End file.
